78 MOUNTAIN AND MOORLAND 



Along with the Golden Eagle we may mention a 

 few other bihls of prey to be seen on our mountains : 

 the Peregrine Falcon, the Sparrow Hawk, the Kestrel, 

 the Buzzard, and the little Merlin. For other countries 

 we must add many more, such as some of the Vul- 

 tures, which reach a climax of voracity in the Condor 

 of the Andes. 



In our third study, in connection with special 

 fitness for the mountains, we discussed the Ptar- 

 migan. Now we must say a little about the Black 

 Grouse (Tetrao tetrix), which is the Ptarmigan's 

 cousin. The male, called the Blackcock, is distin- 

 guished by his metallic black colour, with a bar of 

 white on the wing and white below the tail, from his 

 mate, the Greyhen, who has a ruddy-buff plumage, 

 barred and freckled with black. From July to Sep- 

 tember, however, the Blackcock has what is called an 

 "eclipse" dress, which means that his splendour is 

 somewhat dimmed, as the sun's by the moon's shadow. 

 He moults the fine black feathers of his head and 

 neck and tail, and he is for a time not very unlike his 

 mate. It almost seems, as a great naturalist puts it, 

 as if the cloak of his brooding mate is dropped over 

 him for a while. The tail of the cock is beautifully 

 lyre-shaped, while that of the hen is deeply forked. 



Perhaps Black Grouse are more characteristic of 

 moorland than of mountains, but they are often seen 

 at considerable heights. They also frequent forests 

 of birch and pine. The adults feed on young heather 

 points, blaeberry shoots, berries, and seeds ; the young 

 require insect food, such as the young stages of Ants, 

 which their mothers help them to find. The nest is a 

 scraping in the ground with a scanty lining; the six 



